Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the new Saudi Arabian AI company HUMAIN have announced a strategic partnership involving an investment of more than $5 billion to build the Kingdom’s first AI Zone—a critical step toward realizing Vision 2030 and positioning Saudi Arabia as a global AI leader.
AI zone with state-of-the-art AWS infrastructure
- Building a state-of-the-art AI zone with UltraCluster networks, state-of-the-art AWS infrastructure, and dedicated AI servers.
- Integration with Amazon SageMaker, Bedrock, and Amazon Q for scalable GenAI applications.
- Access to leading AI models for security, privacy, and responsible AI applications.
Expansion of the AWS infrastructure region in Saudi Arabia
- AWS is investing $5.3 billion to build a new region that will be available starting in 2026.
- The AI Zone is a complementary initiative to the existing infrastructure investment.
- The goal is to serve local and global demand for advanced AI services.
HUMAIN’s contribution and objectives
- HUMAIN develops AI solutions based on AWS for customers in Saudi Arabia.
- Building a marketplace for AI agents for government institutions.
- Promoting Arabic Large Language Models (ALLaM) and adoption of AI technology across the MENA region.
Cross-industry GenAI use cases
- Healthcare: Early detection of diseases.
- Education: Personalizing learning experiences.
- Administration: Increasing efficiency in administrative processes.
- Support from the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center to implement and scale GenAI roadmaps.
Promoting startups in Saudi Arabia
- Supporting Saudi Arabian founders with AWS Activate and cloud technologies.
- AWS brings global startup expertise with more than 330,000 supported companies.
- In 2024, Saudi startups received USD 750 million in VC investments – the highest in the MENA region.
Scaling talent training
- AWS is training 100,000 Saudi citizens in cloud and GenAI technologies with a focus on AWS AI Practitioner & ML Engineer certificates.
- Support from Amazon Academy – the region’s largest training program.
- 10,000 women are being trained through the AWS Saudi Arabia Women’s Skills Initiative.
Strategic importance for Saudi Arabia’s AI economy
- According to PwC, AI will contribute around USD 130 billion to the Saudi Arabian economy by 2030.
- Saudi Arabia is taking a leading role in cloud transformation in the MENA region.
- Projected USD 733 billion in economic value from cloud adoption in the region by 2033.
Voices on the partnership
“This new collaboration with HUMAIN lays the foundation for the intelligent age…” said Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and IT.
“Together we will support customers and drive innovation…” said Matt Garman, CEO of AWS.
“We are creating an offering that attracts global talent…” explained Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN.
With an investment of over $5 billion in Saudi Arabia, AWS and HUMAIN are making a strong statement for the global AI future. The partnership supports not only infrastructure and innovation, but also talent development and economic transformation across the Middle East.
